We skip the monologue and get straight to a State of the Union phone conversation with Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times. He discusses all things Bears but with a major focus on John Fox’s status with the organization moving forward.

Reverend Dave complains about the broadcast teams assigned to the Bears, from Africa.

Related

Reverend Dave complains from Africa about the broadcast teams assigned to the Bears.

SC Dave

Well damn, Rev, just use mute.

That being said, the rant is on the money.

CanadaBear

Actually I was really happy with the announcers for the most part. Fouts/Eagle are as good as any pair going and I have no issue with Spielman. Beats the hell out of Buck/Aikman or Brenneman/Johnston. I actually don’t mind Aikman or Moose (neither are great but they aren’t annoying) but Buck and Brenneman wear me out with all of their pronouncements that are so profound (at least they think they are).

willbest

I don’t run across people that like Buck, so I wonder who Fox is polling that has them convinced he is worth having there.

CanadaBear

I have no idea. I always liked his dad but he’s worn me out forever. When Moss fake mooned the GB fans and Buck went ballistic, that ended any chance that I would accept Buck as a good play-by-play guy. He went so over the top it was ridiculous. NTM even the Fudgie fans thought it was funny. Ever since then it seems like he puffs himself up like he’s the arbiter for everything NFL.

BearDown100393

That was 12 years ago.

CanadaBear

I’ve disliked Buck for a long time!

BearDown100393

Evidently

AlbertInTucson

Frankly,I thought his Dad was vastly overrated and definitely “Stayed to long at the fair.”

When he was doing MNF on radio with Hank Stram they were awful.

The “I don’t believe what I just saw” call on the Gibson homer does nada for me.

Vin Scully knew to just be quiet as soon as he finished saying “…gone!”.

Bullard was interviewed last week with the Miller injury being the early topic of discussion but it came around to his play and he acknowledged how the glut strain slowed him but said he’s now back to preseason form. That is yuge as is Unrein’s ability to get back to form. When the four bigs are all healthy good things happen.

leftcoastdave

Here’s a good one with a six minute recap of the MNF game in 2010 when da Bears last beat the Pack at home.

Yup. It’s been turrible in the Rodgers years, even though in general we’ve played him pretty well. It’s just that our QB was shitting the bed 90+% of the time.

CanadaBear

Always good to hear from AJ. I just don’t get all the hand wringing from Jeff about Glennon killing the Bears season. If MT starts from the beginning of the season there’s no guarantees he does any better than 1-3. The Bears should have beaten ATL with Glennon (dropped passes at the end). TB no doubt Glennon was hideous but do the Bears win that with MT? Not sure. Same thing again against the Fudgies but I don’t see MT beating the Fudgies with Erin. So the Bears might have won one more game (TB) with MT. That’s it. If they go 8-8 this year do you really think they make the playoffs at 9-7? Not likely. Glennon was awful and Jeff called it before the season started but I don’t think the Bears were going anywhere no matter who started those first 4 games.

SC Dave

Agree that the hand wringing is silly.

What’s so big about practicing with a first team that didn’t last past the second week of the season? Maybe he was better off practicing with Shaheen, McBride, and Gentry, since those are the guys on the field now?

CanadaBear

Yeah, the woulda. coulda, shoulda doesn’t pass the smell test. I’m guessing the Bears lose to Phi, Queens, Loins (in MI). They could easily lose to GB, Cle, SF or esp Cin, if they have a couple of untimely turnovers. It’s not like the Bears are good enough for a win to be a foregone conclusion with any team in the second half.

SC Dave

At the same time, they *could* win 7. That Pittsburgh game makes me think they actually have a chance against anyone.

CanadaBear

Oh yeah! I agree with ya but but having PTSD from 55+ years as a Bears fan, I’m never counting on good things to happen.

AlbertInTucson

Move over, please.

BearDown100393

Shaheen is on the field?

willbest

Anybody convinced that MT does better than 1-3 through the first 4 games hasn’t been paying attention to the last 4 games. Unless the argument is that after going 1-3 in the first 4 games Mitch would be so well versed in the offense that he wouldn’t have thrown away the Minny and NO games at the end and lead the Bears to victory instead.

To that I say, well lets see him put up 21 points against GB without the defense either scoring it themselves or giving it to him in scoring position first.

CanadaBear

I”m not down on the Bears or MT but they still have a long ways to go (esp MT).

Does Polian want to
1) simplify the definition of a “catch”
2) change the definition of holding to be more in line with the reality of the way the game is played so that its not called every 3rd play
3) outlaw stiff-arms to the helmet
4) rule that a player is not giving himself up until a knee, butt, or elbow are on the ground along with the BALL.
5) Use the layman definition of incontrovertible.
6) Booth review 15 yard penalties.
7) Put a sensor in the ball so that we aren’t dealing with the flags and chains and awful ref spots

BerwynBomber

1) Good luck with that. And secondarily, I don’t know if any definition will get you to Zach Miller’s “catch” being upheld on review EXCEPT if they stick to the “indisputable evidence” portion of replay, which they don’t (more on that below)

2) So you’d basically be asking for more legalized holding. Fine. But just remember what can of worms you’re opening when Hicks is held legally with two minutes to go in a game hanging in the balance and the other team driving. Frankly, I don’t see a ton of holding calls all things considered

3) agree but hardly see that as the biggest issue facing a new commish (not even top 100 arguably)

4) is that really a problem? I get the reason for it but when has that become an issue? Seems like having every KR’s knee touch in the endzone for a touchback is kinda redundant.

5) Bingo, if you’re talking the same as “indiisputable” in replay as I think you are. That’s really the biggest issue with replay (well, that and its slowness). It’s not so much not knowing what a catch is. It’s reversing calls on debatable plays where the original call should therefore stand.

6) Fuck no. You want MORE replay? Hell to the no. I’ll live the with the occasional bad call

7) Sounds good but the technology would have to get around the obstacle of human bodies for accurate readings. So it’s not as easy as a simple laser I presume except for FGs.

willbest

A localized sensor grid stationed around the stadium (actually a rather nice building to install one on) could track the ball location on the field down to the centimeter.

Determining maximum forward progress and relaying it to a wrist watch on a ref wouldn’t be a big thing. There would be some special issues to be taken care of such as toe taps in bounds when the ball is caught out of bounds, and determining when a player is down. But I suspect with enough data a computer could determine uncontrolled ground force (ie. not running) on the ball movement path and mark a player down at the proper location.

There are a couple areas which might be problematic. Determining if a player toe tap caught a ball inbounds even though the ball has broken the out of bounds plane.

DaCoaches Mustache

Outlaw stiff arms? Fuck that right in the ear puss.

AlbertInTucson

He said “Stiff arms to the helmet.” Not just Stiff arms.

I agree.

BerwynBomber

Screw that? So a runner couldn’t stiff=arm a tackler on the side of the helmet? That’s insane.

AlbertInTucson

No, it’s not.

Anymore than the old Deacon Jones head slap being banned.

SC Dave

I would be okay not allowing them to the facemask.

What’s good for the goose…

Irish Sweetness

But they’re not, are they? You grab someone’s facemask and that’s it?

Edit:

The NFL’s rule is nearly identical to the NCAA and is covered in rule 12.2.14:
“No player shall grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction.”
Like the NCAA, the NFL adds a clarification to make it clear that brief contact is not illegal:
“Note: If a player grasps an opponent’s facemask, he must immediately release it. If he does not immediately release it and controls his opponent, it is a foul.”
That foul is 15 yards, and if it’s by the defense, it draws an automatic first down.
While the language may be different from level to level, the end result is the same. If a player grasps and twists a player’s helmet via facemask or another opening, it’s a foul that draws a 15-yard penalty. In only high school football, “incidental” contact to the facemask draws a 5-yard penalty.”

I am all for sensors on the ball and review of penalties resulting in 15 yards or more. one would speed up the game while the other has the potential to slow it down but overall the game would be better.

BearDown100393

More booth reviews?

I don’t need extra Papa John’s commercials in my life.

willbest

Well there would no longer be ball spot challenges, and if you redefine holding to be something sane, there would be fewer of those too. And really 15 yards (from the end of the play sometimes) is a monster change in field position that along with scoring and TO it should want to be right.

BearDown100393

Or we could just chill out and the live with on the field calls and go about our lives afterward without enduring 4 hour games.

Irish Sweetness

1) I think they’ve pretty clearly (wrong word?) defined what a catch is. They just aren’t paying attention to it (Zack Miller TD).

6)Anything should be reviewable by challenge e.g. phantom holding call. That is the purpose of replays, to overturn an incorrect call.

7) Absolutely. And touchdowns are crucial also. Sensors in the ball. So easy.

Cockney Kirk

False Face is so vindictive.

He only gets votes on the argument that Roger somehow botched the Kaep thing. Which is ridiculous.

I hate Goodell, but he’s being scapegoated for a stew that was cooked by ownership.

I guess it’s a job that you know ends in tears.

Kind of like PLAYING in the NFL.

BearDown100393

Dumping Goodell signifies that Jerry Jones now runs the NFL.

BearDown100393

All Goodell has to do is execute Kaepernick in public and he will be the NFL puppet for life.

AlbertInTucson

Jerra reaching out for a fellow (soon-to-be) 75 year old?

Polian clicks 3/4 of a Century on December 8th.

willbest

“Big winner in the new character limit: articles. I have cut a, an & the out of almost every tweet I’ve written in 2017.” – Jeff

Personally, I am not a fan of the change. There was always the follow up tweet if you absolutely needed an extra 140 characters to make your point.

DaBearsBlog

I hate it. I want to scroll quickly through Twitter. I can’t do it.

BearDown100393

Yeah seriously.

The NC playbook didn’t even need all those extra characters.

Irish Sweetness

They’ll double it again at some point .. and call it “email”.

AlbertInTucson

“Fans know when to go for it on 4tha nd a foot.”

No, the majority of of fans ALWAYS want to GO for it on 4th and a foot.”

willbest

Supposedly the statistics show you should always go for it on a 4th and 1 foot even in the shadow of your own goal posts.

Tammy

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Cockney Kirk

Spape (action verb) – To have Kevin Spacey attempt to ply you with drinks and rape you.

“Yeah, I was out at the bar and was drunk as hell. I almost got spaped.”

A. Pressures underage boys to fuck
B. In Season 1, forced Kate Mara to fuck him in exchange for state secrets for her to publish, would only fuck her in the ass and then pushed her in front of a train.
C. Has a secret gay relationship with another senator.
D. Does not act himself when he’s drunk.

Remember I said that parents allowing their kids to play tackle football will be viewed like pregos smoking?

“”I get pissed about my brother letting my nephew play. And I know
among my wife’s friends that they kind of give you the cross-eyed look
if you say you let your son play tackle football”, Cuban.

Cuban also correctly points out the major factor that will lead to the decline of football (and all sports, really)

“Now, my son, if the Cowboys game or the Steelers game is on, I’ll
say, ‘You’re sitting right here with me.’ But he’s playing Minecraft or
watching videos.”

The NFL needs to invest MILLIONS into a concussion proof helmet. Put out a reward “$5,000,000 to inventor who creates one”. May have to use some of that alien anti-gravity shit though.

willbest

Add a zero. And I saw that microspring compression helmet, and that is about the only way to go about it.

willbest

Incidentally, the lower class still smokes a bunch. Otherwise US tobacco sales wouldn’t be 100 billion dollars. But like obesity, its confined primary to the lower class. So while upper class folks like Cuban and Costas won’t see any of their friends playing football, it will still have plenty of support.

– Jeff says Bears are incapable of finding the next McVay or winning with a high-flying O

Why not?

We didn’t move up to get the #1QB just to hand it off.

Are long time fans THAT jaded and defeatist that we believe them incapable of hiring a real HC/OC?

(don’t answer that)

– Fuller.

Kinda agree with Jahns. Might follow the Alshon situation. A mercurial player who seems like he just wants to get paid.

However, if the Bears franchise Fuller, he might resent them, like Alshon, and overprice himself or be determined to bolt.

– Inman.
Well, wait and see. I suggested the Chargers are a WRs farm, so I think he’ll be good. But it takes time to develop chemistry. Good QB-WRs are practically telepathic, and a rook QB and a WR crashcoursing may take some time to develop.

– Can Shaheen slot right into Miller’s spot?

No.

From what I’ve seen, Shaheen gets NOT separation, and Trub is still in college mode where he’s waiting for the reciever to get open instead of throwing him open. As such, I don’t see Trub trusting himself to throw it to him.

And can Shaheen catch in traffic like Miller?

Miller was an under rated athlete and catcher.

I’m pretty good at FF, and I’m not picking up Miller any time soon (then again, I got Ertz).

“In 2008, he served as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts. After Tony Dungy retired early in 2009, Jim Caldwell (former Colts quarterback coach) replaced Dungy and Reich took his place as the new quarterbacks coach.[5] Reich switched to Wide Receivers Coach[6] in 2011 but was dismissed when the entire coaching staff was released. He was the wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2012 under head coach Ken Whisenhunt,[7] but both Reich and Whisenhunt (along with other offensive coaches) were dismissed on December 31, 2012. He was hired by the San Diego Chargers along with Whisenhunt in 2013. When Whisenhunt left to become head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Reich was promoted to offensive coordinator. On January 4, 2016, he was fired from his position as offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers. On January 20, 2016, he was hired as offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles”

Not exactly a sterling record for Reich, but he does seem to have some experience. Was a former player too, so knows the game from that side as well.

This might be like an Andy Reid thing, where Pederson is really running the show, and everyone else is along for the ride, but hey, Parcell’s was once running the show when Billichick was an underling.

He’s only 55 too, so not too young or too old.

As for Trub, yeah, I know it’s unrealistic to expect a 2nd yr Wentz leap, but getting one of the guys (to what extent?) responsible for that leap would be a good idea.

It’s kinda like when the Lakers hired Phil Jackson.

Realistically, weren’t expecting 90s Bulls, but thought he could do something along the same lines.

Irish Sweetness

So .. .why would we hire Reich over say … Jon Gruden .. .who’s not ancient and already has a stellar coaching record … and wants to coach … and can develop QBs?

“The development comes at a team when resentment of Jones has grown among
owners. Many resent his use of the phrases “ranking owner” and “senior
ranking owner”

Some are more equal than others…

This is reminding me of the Godfather for some reason

Or Black Rain when that youngster Yakuza refuses to bow down to the rest of the families.

BearDown100393

Jerry Jones digging downward to be the newly self-appointed #45 among over lording NFL bosses.

Cockney Kirk

Conversation on Score last night:

What if the Packers don’t tag or attempt to resign Rodgers at the end of next year? He will command Lesbian’s $50M signing bonus and want in excess of $30M/yr on a long term. What if the Pack think this will lock their cap up too much? Could that happen?

And would everyone outside of the Eagles and the Pats try and go get him?

It’s all part of the plan

I can’t imagine a reality where the Packers don’t keep Rodgers until they know they have another option waiting and he also proves that he’s near the end of his powers.

Dis Guy Trublinsky

He’s not going anywhere. He loves it there and still shares real estate with Clay.

Rodgers would probably be the only QB who can be tagged and traded since almost any team would dump cap for him.

Broncos would be a good set up for him if that were the case.
Maybe the Jag if he believes in their OC.

willbest

Rodgers tag isn’t even all that bad. Because he extended his contract with 2 years remaining on his previous deal he last negotiated his salary back in 2013. He is being grossly underpaid relative to market rates.

Malice Halice

Rodgers can’t go to da AFC. There has to be a balance of elite/ish Qb’s. I see him goin to da cardinals

BearDown100393

Arizona would not approve of Erin’s lifestyle.

CanadaBear

Hey MH, did ya make it to the Blues clubs when you were in Chicago?

SC Dave

Let Trubiksy ride the bench behind him for two or three years while he takes our defense to three straight championships.

In 2021 he will be 37 years old, he will have now broken both shoulders, plus whatever else he injures over the next 3 years. He will probably have good football in him a la Manning, but if the Packers were smart they would let some other team gamble on that.

Of course Ted Thompson is an awful GM who caught lightening in a bottle, he will almost certainly look to hold onto it as long as possible so he can continue to fleece the Packers organization

Which still buys GB a lot of flexibility because he wouldn’t even be overpaid until 2020 if they wanted to go that route.

BerwynBomber

But if he was dead intent on leaving, the smartest move for the Cheese would to agree to some sort of sign-and-trade. (Instead of having a disgruntled superstar for whom you get nothing at the end.)

Pricey franchise tags work when a team has its doubts about a player. I advocated a one-year prove-it tag with Cutty back in the day (instead of his final contract), but when the player himself doesn’t want to be there, best to go the trade route and get all you can.

Anyway, pure speculation at this point.

I think he would be smart to go as there are at least 16 teams with whom he would have a better shot to win a ring (including us).

But my sense his he’ll stay. NFL superstars aren’t wired like NBA players. Eventually they will be but I doubt if Rodgers would be the guy to risk it.

willbest

But if the NFL players are going to make progress it needs to be Rodgers-like person that does.

BerwynBomber

I agree but Rodgers seem to care too much about his brand, and the NFL is such a different culture than the NBA. Breeds a different mindset. Team fidelity, I guess.

BearDown100393

Why would Rodgers want to play there anyway? Zero commitment to protecting him. Zero commitment to providing actual receivers not named Nelson or running backs who weight less than 450 pounds. Dealing with Grimace and his “genius”.

New York beckons.

BerwynBomber

I would argue their O skill guys are fine, if overrated. It is more about the D, coaching and Thompson’s philosophy that are the problem.

Yup, I think the Jets might not be a bad choice. (Except for Jets ownership.)

The Giants, OTOH, are a dumpster fire.

BearDown100393

What philosophy? Hiring work hands from Menards to run routes?

SC Dave

I would take, for example, Randall Cobb over anyone on the Bears roster or IR list.

BerwynBomber

Of course, but I’d also take Howard and our D over theirs.

BearDown100393

That actually indicts Pace.

BuddhaJoe

Almost everyone would try to get him. He’s the best in the league, possibly ever. He only got one ring but he’s dragged a dogshit team to the playoffs almost every year. Look at what happens when he’s out.

SC Dave

Similar career to Peyton Manning, who spent a decade and a half adding 3 to 5 wins a season to a mediocre (at best) team. A team consistently shown the door in the playoffs.

Irish Sweetness

Because of Peyton usually. A case of “Cometh the hour .. .exit Peyton.”

BuddhaJoe

Wow Black Uni already got cut by the Fudge. Normally takes at least a season to wear out his welcome.

Probably still better than what we have though. No point in trying to bring him back though.

BearDown100393

Agreed.

Segal plateaued in Hard to Kill.

BuddhaJoe

Fuckin hate that guy. But when I was nine or so my friends older brother made a tape that was just a loop of that stripper in Under Siege coming out of the cake over and over. So thank him for that I guess.

“Entering Week 10 the Bears rank 29th in offense (6th rushing and 32nd
passing) and 8th in defense (13th against the run and 11th versus the
pass). The Packers rank 23rd in offense (tied for 21st in rushing and
21st passing) and 25th in defense (23rd against the run and 20th versus
the pass).”

via Larry

willbest

It seems a lot like lying to state the Packers rank 23rd in offense.

BerwynBomber

Not after their last three Rodgers-less games.

willbest

Well that is sort of my point. There are 5 Rodgers games in that sample that are no longer relevant. Its like telling me Houston is #3 on PPG. That is technically true, but not useful information for assessing the team.

More tidbits via Larry. So I guess we get Freeman back right in time for the SB.

“Linebacker Jerrell Freeman’s 10-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs begins immediately. It includes the final eight games this season and then two additional contests either in the playoffs this year or at the start of next season. Freeman has been on injured reserve since tearing his pectoral muscle in the season opener, but with the suspension he now will be losing a huge chunk of his yearly salary”

willbest

He better hope its playoff games since the league fixes the compensation for those things at a bag of peanuts and a couple scratch off tickets.

But Bono is the same “class” as anyone else in his country. If he supposed or acted like he was anything else, he’d get his head kicked in. It’s interesting culturally. America is still a Victorian society, its underlying form is very much British. They left you universities and gentlemen’s clubs, imaginary divisions between people, who are the same. It separates and divides based on what is in your bank account. In other countries, without class systems, all that matters is what’s in your heart.

willbest

your understanding of the US is faulty. There are no fewer than 12 white cultures in this country. Some cultures are more successful than others under the American system.

Tammy

Google is paying 97$ per hour,with weekly payouts.You can also avail this.
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